70 ANIMADVEESIONS ON A TREATISE
An unsearchable abyss in many of God's providential dispensa- tions, wherein the infinite sovereignty, wisdom, and righteousness of him who giveth no account of his matters are to be adored, we readily acknowledge; and yet I dare freely say, that most of the things in- stanced inl)y our author are capable of a clear resolution, according to known rules and principles of truth revealed in the Scripture: such are, God's suffering the Gentiles to wander so long in the dark, not calling them to repentance; with the necessity of Christian reli- gion, and yet the punishment of many of the professors of it by the power of idolaters and pagans, as the church of the Jews was handled of old by the Assyrians, Babylonians, and others. Of this sort, also, is his newly-inserted story of the Cirubrians; which, it may be, was added to give us a cast of his skill in the investigation of the original of nations, out of Camden ; for if that which himself affirms of them were true, namely, " That they were devout, adoring the crucifix," — which men usually are when they cease to worship aright him who was crucified (the sin mentioned, Rom. i. 25), — we need not much admire that God gave them up to be scourged by their pagan adver- saries. But, not to mention that which is not only uncertain whether it be time, but is most probably false, if our author had ever read the stories of those times, and the lamentations made for the sins of them by Gildas, Salvianus, and others, he would have found enough to justify God in his proceedings and dealing with his Cirabrians, ac- cording to the kno^vn rules of his word. The like may be affirmed concerning the Irish, whose decay, like a true Englishman, he dates from the interest of our kings there, and makes the progress of it commensurate to the prevalency of their authority ; when it is known to all the world that by that means alone they were reclaimed from barbarism, and brought into a most flourishing condition, until, by their rebellion and imparalleled cruelties, they precipitated themselves into confusion and ruin. As for that which is insinuated as the con- clusion fit to be made out of all these premises, concerning the obscu- rity of God's nature and the works of providence, — namely, that we betake ourselves to the infallible determination of the Roman church, — I shall only say, that as I know not that as yet the pope hath under- taken pontifically to interpose his definite sentence in reference to these philosophical digladiations he glanceth on in the most part of his discourse, so I have but little reason, on the resignation required, to expect an illumination from that obscurity about the Deity which he insists on; finding the children, indeed the fathers of that church, of all men on the earth, most to abound in contradictory disputes and endless quarrels about the very nature and properties of God himself.
But his direct im})rovement of this long oration that he enters on, p. 122, may be farther considered. It is, in short, this: "That
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by the Scripture no man can come to tlie knowledge of, and settle- ment in, an assurance of the truth; nor is there any hope of relief for us in this sad condition but that living papal oracle, which, if we are wise, we will acquiesce in," pp. 125, 126. To this purpose men are furnished with many exceptions against the authority of the Scripture, from " the uncertainty of the rise and scoring of it, — how it came to us, — how it was authorized, and by whom ; the doubtfulness Oi its sense and meaning ; the contemptible condition of the first pen- men of it, seeming a company of men imposing their own fancies as oracuious visions upon us, — of whom how can we know that they were msjDired, seeing they say no such thing of themselves, not those especially of the New Testament? besides the many aj)pearing con- tradictions, with other human infirmities, seeming unto critics ever and anon to occur in them; and why may not illiterate men fail as W^ell as," etc.? — with much more of the same nature and importance : unto all of which I shall need to say nothing but that of Job, " Vain man would be wise, but is like to the wild ass's colt." Never is the folly of men more eminently displayed, than when confidence of their wisdom makes them bold and daring. I doubt not but our author thought that he had so acquitted himself in this passage, as that his readers must need resolve to quit the Scripture and turn Papists; but there is an evident gulf between these reasonings and Popery, whereunto they will certainly carry any that shall give way to their force and efficacy. This is no other but downright atheism ; this the supplying of men with cavils against the Scripture, its power and authority, does directly lead unto. Our author would have men to believe these suggestions, at least so far as not to seek for rest and satisfaction in the Scriptures, or he would not : if he would not, to what end doth he mention them, and sport himself in showing the luxuriancy of his wit and fancy in cavilling at the word of God? Is not this a ready way to make men atheists, if only by inducing them to an imitation of that which by his example he commends unto them? But it will be said, he only shows the uncertainties that are about Scripture, that men may not expect by or from them deliver- ance from the darkness and ignorance before spoken of ? Suppose, then, they come to be persuaded of such an uncertainty, what course shall they take? "Apply themselves to the Roman church, and they are safe." But seeing the being of a church (much less the Roman church) hath no foundation in the light of nature, and men can never know any thing of it, especially of its prerogative, but by and from the Scripture, whose authority you have taught them to question, and made doubtful to them, what remains for rational men but to re- nounce both Scripture and church, and betake themselves to your commendable piece of witty atheism? This is the old lurry, — the